The end of the federal government’s real return bond program will deprive institutional investors and pension plan members of a valuable investment tool that can help protect against inflation, according to a new report by the C.D. Howe Institute. It found a majority of Canada’s largest institutional investors are interested in investing in real return bonds and […]
Argentina’s Senate defied President Javier Milei to push through an increase to pension spending that would cost at least 0.4 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product, dealing a blow to his tough austerity program. The bill, which already swept through the lower house in June, passed the Senate in a 61-8 vote. All […]
The average amount that U.S. adults have saved for retirement dropped slightly from US$89,300 in 2023 to $88,400 in 2024 and more than $10,000 from its five-year peak of $98,800 in 2021, according to a new survey by Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. The survey, which polled more than 4,500 U.S. adults aged 18 or older, found a third […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board reported an eight per cent return in its fiscal year ending March 31, but significantly underperformed the 19.9 per cent return of its reference portfolio. The reference portfolio, made of 85 per cent global equity and 15 per cent Canadian bonds, benefited last year from stock price surges in the […]
Over the past year, union negotiations have ramped up and wage settlements have reached new heights, mainly due to the fact that negotiations were set back by the coronavirus pandemic and the inflation that followed, says Douglas Porter, chief economist and managing director at BMO Financial Group. “Like night follows day, labour unrest and strike […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec returned 4.2 per cent in the first half of 2024, underperforming its benchmark of 4.6 per cent. As at June 30, 2024, the Caisse’s net assets totalled $452 billion. Its average annualized returns over five and 10 years were six per cent and 7.1 per cent, respectively. […]
An article on the nuances of Quebec’s pension laws was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com this past week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the last week: 1. What should employers know about Quebec’s pension legislation? 2. Ontario’s new regulations for publicly advertised jobs providing transparency for job-seekers: expert 3. Canadian […]
Working grandparents who are providing financial support to children and/or grandchildren are risking their own plans for retirement, says Craig Bannon, director of financial planning centre of expertise at the Royal Bank of Canada. “[They might need to] delay their retirement to extend their earning years or continue to work on a part-time basis in […]
The average Canadian defined benefit pension plan posted a median return of 1.1 per cent in the second quarter of 2024, according to a new report by RBC Investor Services. The report, which tracks performance and asset allocation across Canadian DB plans, also found that the plans saw a return of 4.4 per cent for […]
Nearly half (47 per cent) of U.S. employers report their salary budgets for 2024 are lower than the previous year, as the overall median pay raise for 2024 fell to 4.1 per cent, down from 4.5 per cent in 2023, according to a new survey by WTW. The survey, which polled more than 1,800 employers, […]